Zero Punctuation: Castlevania: Lords of Shadow

[SkullCap]

I personally prefer the graveyards and haunting scenery of the castle. Even the first Castlevania games weren't all in the castle.

Plus, Castlevania predates the God of War franchise well over twenty years.
-Belmont's chain-like whip > Kratos' dual chain blades
-Fighting huge enemies? Castlevania had that. Yes, the fighting the Colossus was first, but God of War used that style of boss-fighting as well.

No one wants to fight normal-sized bosses and if your playing a vampire hunter you'd want some giant-sized monsters to fight.

Funny review, but I will still check this game out.

I can get over the Portal reference because it's a stupid little video game meme to a better game that doesn't affect the gameplay or story; it's only a reference shoved in their by a designer trying to be funny.

P.S. At the very least the Belmont's are fighting for a more noble reason. Kratos is tricked by the gods into killing his family and realizes his mistake (hamartia). THEN GoW 2 & 3 come out and we have a parody of an irrational muscle-bound brute who just wants to Kill, Kill, and maybe get some Killing done.

 

[CronoT]

Konami continues to prove that everything they have is riding on Kojima and the team that makes the Silent Hill games. Everything else is just getting worse and worse.

Also, agreed on the 3D Aspect: Castlevania and Sonic need to either stick to awesome 2D platforming and exploration, or LEARN HOW TO MAKE A GOOD 3D GAME!!!

 

[Misho-]

The thing about this game is that I can't stop playing it, I loved it... And I believe is a love it or hate it game... (Most of them are) I don't mind the negative (or positive) reviews since as Yahtzee said a long time ago, reviews are all subjective and if you enjoyed the game they really shouldn't get to you. I bought it and enjoyed it deeply. My only complain is... erm SPOILERS!!!!?




Vamp Carmilla's both designs... They sucked... But the art book rocked

 

[Misho-]

I personally prefer the graveyards and haunting scenery of the castle. Even the first Castlevania games weren't all in the castle.

Plus, Castlevania predates the God of War franchise well over twenty years.
-Belmont's chain-like whip > Kratos' dual chain blades
-Fighting huge enemies? Castlevania had that. Yes, the fighting the Colossus was first, but God of War used that style of boss-fighting as well.

No one wants to fight normal-sized bosses and if your playing a vampire hunter you'd want some giant-sized monsters to fight.

Funny review, but I will still check this game out.

I can get over the Portal reference because it's a stupid little video game meme to a better game that doesn't affect the gameplay or story; it's only a reference shoved in their by a designer trying to be funny.

P.S. At the very least the Belmont's are fighting for a more noble reason. Kratos is tricked by the gods into killing his family and realizes his mistake (hamartia). THEN GoW 2 & 3 come out and we have a parody of an irrational muscle-bound brute who just wants to Kill, Kill, and maybe get some Killing done.

Lol I agree and the thing about the designer trying to be funny is that there's more references like the Star Trek ones, maybe because of Picard's voice.

Also I was hoping for Fallout New Vegas

 

[JPH330]

Left 4 Dead 2 has a Portal reference and that game's awesome.

I think that's different because it's made by the same developers that did Portal.

 

[Chewster]

I know Adrian, and I'm fairly certain he doesn't blow pigs.

 

[lord.jeff]

Like God of War, I'd say it's more like Lament of Innocence, you know that 3D Castlevania game that had you hacking and slashing your way through hundreds of enemies with a flexible weapon, it was a lot like God of War in that regard too and came out two years before it. Also the like God of War thing doesn't really work for any game for one reason God of War wasn't original it was just a high point of the hack and slash genre, that was started by Double Dragon I believe, thats like stamping Half-life with a like Doom stamp.

 

[Misho-]

Oh Oh last post about Castlevania, for those who've played the game... The villagers are normal size peeps right? Then came Gabriel who's really tall, then the enemies who are about Gabriel size and then Skeletons who are actually taller than he is????!?!?! I mean everyone in this universe is about 9 feet tall minimum.


My point is: dude... At least keep some consistency... Its the same problem as Darksiders... You are supposed to be this huge guy... And everything else is bigger than you.

 

[wiredk]

Agreed on most part, but I need to Clarify a little misconception about this "god of war" malarky.

Go look at the release date for Castlevania: Lament of Innocence. Ok, got the year?
Now go look at the release date for God of War.

TL;DR version of this: GOD OF WAR COPIED LAMENT OF INNOCENCE OMG!

Anyways, once that malarky is out of the way onto the rest.
Theres a Metal Gear reference: You have to enter a vent and I swear to god they do a little music diddy thats supposed to be something like a Metal gear theme. That, and if you beat the game you get snake's bandana and eyepatch.

So anyways, heres what gets me about this Castlevania game. Its neither Castle nor Vania. There is some castle in it, but its a middle point for the game and you quickly leave it. The music is GENERIC orchaestral music, which seems to drone on FOR ETERNITY. The only time any of the awesome trademark music of the Castlevania series shows up, is during a puzzle involving a music box.

And the ending... Oh god another Punchout ending. YOU IS THE DRACULA. And your buddy IS THE DEATH. And you must go fight SAAAATAAAAAAN in hell. Reborn from hell, Dracula Armeggedon

 

[ZelosRaine]

I can't believe that no one has been enough of a wanker to point out that the Mona Lisa is in the Louvre, not the National (of England) Portrait Gallery. Guess that's me then!

 

[The Cake Is Annoying]

I was bothered that the Mona Lisa was used to illustrate the national portrait gallery. No lie.

Yes that makes me a fucking art fan boy with a thumb up his arse, FINE. BUT its the fucking Louvre.

Is the fucking Louvre too obscure for anyone? Really?

For all the above ranting, ZP still is head and shoulders (and knees-and-toes-knees-and-toes) above other video reviews. Perhaps since I've started watching Extra Credits I'm just expecting something different from ZP.

 

[Dore914]

Iv lost faith in you yahtzee in comparison to most of the games that are coming out today, this is brilliant, even on its own, you can just take away the castlevania title... the whole "Like god of war but.." stamp needs to go, GOW is a cow in a field thats been milked for what its worth...

 

[wiredk]

Oh, and a side note: The ps3 version is one disk.

 

[FaceFaceFace]

i was thoroughly disturbed by some of the analogies in that video

Does anyone get the title

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow
Lords: Damn cant think of anything
of: God of war
Shadow: Shadow of the Collussus

Yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhh.......

Almost every single Castlevania game, since before God of War existed, has been titled (blank) of (blank).

I'm still going to play this, but probably only as a rental.

 

[joemegson94]

In The Passing/The Sacrifice, it's possible to listen to Still Alive on a jukebox. Also the fact that it's by Vlave doesn't make a difference; it's still a game with a portal reference.

 

[FieryTrainwreck]

i think you should stop using the whole "like god of war...but" joke...its getting old.

I can't agree with this. If the joke is getting old it just shows you how stagnant the games industry has become in terms of the outright theft of successful formulas and the repackaging of the same damn game for the seventy squillionth time. People keep buying them though, hence the need for the joke.

No, no, no.
That's like saying that the game industry is stagnating just because they still make First Person Shooters, or RTS-Games or games of every other existing genre.
You can't just invent something completly new every time you develop another game.

Mythological monsters. QTEs. Chained whips. Wake up.

Mythological monsters and chained whips were Castlevania originals. You need to wake up.

No, they were mythological originals. That's not the point at all. We're talking about video games. In the context of this medium, God of War originated its particular breed of gameplay -

No, it did not. Action platformer where you're facing down legions of creatures of myth using a whip based weapon? Castlevania did that in 1983. God of War was the first game to take the ideas that Castlevania brought forth years upon years beforehand and successfully bring it into 3D.

Even so, it only perfected it. Lament of Innocence came out two years prior, utilizing similar gameplay. I'm guessing that you've only been playing games for about six years now?

So just ignore the part where I talk about originality of execution?

God of War, as a video game, is an original creation. Nothing that came before it feels the same. I'm guessing that has more to do with refinement and polish than base concepts, but those are important aspects of the creative process - they frequently give us our "bests". The very best games are the standards we use to criticize new media. If Lords of Shadow had surpassed God of War, LoS wouldn't be labeled so pejoratively as a clone.

Point is: most game devs are chasing something, and games of this ilk are chasing God of War. Fall tremendously short while innovating basically nothing, and you'll be called a ripoff. Seems tremendously fair to me. Trading on past innovations in a completely different and now-defunct genre seems petty and pointless.

In other words, I think there's a reason why we use "measuring stick games", like Doom, as the "originals" rather than the conceptual originals like Wolfenstein. Execution, perhaps more in games than any other medium, trumps the design documents. Any idiot can have a great idea, but it takes true artistry to bring it to life. I deign those artists as the true originators.

 

[MB202]

You're right, the Portal reference DOES tell you everything you need to know.

Also, I love that Symphony of the Night/Count von Count reference at the end.

 

[pneuma08]

The best thing I can say about Lords of Shadow is that it actually gets some major theming of Christian mythology correct, which is a feat rarely - if never! - accomplished by games. I can't think of another game that actually does it, the closest being God of War 1 whose story fits the mold of a classic Greek tragedy.

And then it screws it all up with the epilogue which is the epitome of tackiness whereupon every single element that makes up the story gets filleted. I'm not kidding. It literally ruins any redemption the game has.

 

[Babitz]

I found this game to be pretty awesome. But yeah, yahtzee is right with his points, but what I don't get is his opinion on the game. Does he think it's any good or what?

Btw, Lords of Shadow is better than any God of War.

 

[CynicalMarcus]

i think you should stop using the whole "like god of war...but" joke...its getting old.

I can't agree with this. If the joke is getting old it just shows you how stagnant the games industry has become in terms of the outright theft of successful formulas and the repackaging of the same damn game for the seventy squillionth time. People keep buying them though, hence the need for the joke.

No, no, no.
That's like saying that the game industry is stagnating just because they still make First Person Shooters, or RTS-Games or games of every other existing genre.
You can't just invent something completly new every time you develop another game.

Mythological monsters. QTEs. Chained whips. Wake up.

Mythological monsters and chained whips were Castlevania originals. You need to wake up.

No, they were mythological originals. That's not the point at all. We're talking about video games. In the context of this medium, God of War originated its particular breed of gameplay -

No, it did not. Action platformer where you're facing down legions of creatures of myth using a whip based weapon? Castlevania did that in 1983. God of War was the first game to take the ideas that Castlevania brought forth years upon years beforehand and successfully bring it into 3D.

Even so, it only perfected it. Lament of Innocence came out two years prior, utilizing similar gameplay. I'm guessing that you've only been playing games for about six years now?

So just ignore the part where I talk about originality of execution?

God of War, as a video game, is an original creation. Nothing that came before it feels the same.

Would you like to try again?

Kiddo, the sooner that you realize that there's nothing new underneath the sun you'll find yourself enjoying things much, much more. You'll also feel this new sensation called "being right." From someone who is right, let me tell you that it's an awesome feeling.

Every game borrows from something. It's what the game does with it that matters.